Proposed Poor Law Infirmary

NEW POOR LAW INFIRMARY FOR BARTON: £80,000 SCHEME ON SITE IN COUNTRY. The Guardians of Barton Union, which includes the borough of Eccles and the townships of Stretford, Urmston, Worsley Swinton Orlam and Cadishead, decided yesterday to remove their infirmary from Patricroft to a new site in the rural portion of the Union to be acquired. A committee appointed to report upon the provision of extra accommodation required, stated that the only method by which classification of inmates in accordance with the circular of the Local Government Board of January 29 1895 could be met was by transferring sick patients to more suitable surroundings. Dr Fulton, medical officer of the Ministry of Health, who inspected the sick nursing accommodation on November 16 criticised the institution as to the insufficient accommodation for sick women and for children, and the unsatisfactory accommodation for the nursing staff, and had reported that the only remedy for the unsatisfactory state of affairs was to build a nurses’ home.  The Board decided that in view of the surroundings - the institution is in the centre of the industrial portion of Patricroft - it was not desirable to extend the workhouse buildings, and Mr P Howard, architect, of Manchester, was consulted and submitted plans for the layout of about 20 acres of land and buildings for the accommodation of 300 sick patients and nursing staff, a maternity block and a children’s home, at a total estimated cost of £80,000.  The population of the Union is 166,000, and the rateable value is £1,143,661. A penny rate produces £4,765, and it is estimated that on the present assessment the proposed outlay would only increase the rate by threepence. That, however, it is believed, will be more than covered by new property in Trafford Park, which is in the Union, and the completion of the Manchester Electricity Station at Barton is expected to increase the assessable value of property equivalent to a penny rate. The site for the proposed new building has yet to be decided upon, but the scheme is to be submitted to the Ministry of Health for approval. [Manchester Guardian 7 December 1922 page 16]

Reference           Manchester Guardian 7 December 1922 page 16

Note: Assumed that this scheme developed into Park Hospital Davyhulme - architect Elcock